Jackass: The Movie (2002)

I can't believe I watched this movie…I can't believed I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants a couple of times. It's not really a movie -- just about 40 stunts edited together. Still, it's embarrassingly entertaining.

B-

Swing Shift (1984)

Tries too hard to be meaningful about women in the workplace and strained marriages while men were away during WWII. They should have just focused on the fact that it's a story about adultery and friendship, that's certainly enough.

C+

Dragon Seed (1944)

Chinese peasants deal with the changes wrought by Japanese occupation. The story is fine and clicks along -- didn't seem too long even at 2 1/2 hours -- but I had a really hard time getting past Katharine Hepburn playing a Chinese woman. It looked ridiculous and she acted even moreso.

C+

American Pie (1999)

The first time I saw this, I was with a girlfriend at the theater and we just laughed ourselves silly. This time, I was with my husband and it just seemed so flat. I don't know if it's one of those movies that only works once…or if I was just in a silly mood the first time around...? Who knows. It just seemed to be cobbled together and somehow not to be enough. The Oz/Heather storyline was sweet the first time...but not this time. It felt forced and I was quite aware of the lack of talent displayed by the "jazz" chorale.

C

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

Evans may be a bit of a narcissist, but he seems to be fair, admitting to huge mistakes and misjudgments, and there's just no denying that the guy is a born storyteller. The still photography that accompanies most of the voice-over almost comes alive, the visuals are just so well-done. Drags on a bit in the final fifteen minutes or so, but works wonderfully overall.

B+

Hysterical Blindness (2002)

All performances are terrific in this 2-week (or so) look at white trash best friends hanging out in the local bar trying to hook up. Problem is, the story made me feel as though I was stuck in their rut alongside them...and I wanted out. I would have much preferred to spend the bulk of time with Rowlands and Gazzara as the mature couple unexpectedly finding love with each other.

B-

15 Minutes (2001)

Obnoxious and ridiculous and frantic and stupid.

D+

L'Homme de Rio (1964)

Just one long silly chase. The plot involves three statues and bad men who want them because they hold a key…and a woman and her tenacious boyfriend who will stop at nothing to protect her. Several charming and wacky sequences, but it's just fluff -- and, as such, should have been over at least a half hour before it was -- as the chase continued, it just grew more ridiculous than entertaining.

C

Live From Baghdad (2002)

Fast-paced, well-told true story of a CNN crew in Iraq on the brink of Desert storm. Just fantastic.

A-

The Spiral Staircase (1946)

Nothing thrilling about this thriller. Serial killer is getting rid of all girls with flaws because "there's no room in the world for imperfection." Dorothy Maguire is, conveniently, mute. She's imperfect AND she can't scream -- bonus! Plods predictably along.

C

Get Over It (2001)

Surprisingly charming! This is a rare beast: a romantic non-raunchy comedy aimed squarely at teens -- the closest thing to which I can compare it is "Clueless." I really loved these characters and was rooting for the right couple to get together, just like I was supposed to! Sure, some of the bits don't work (the overly-clumsy hot chick, for example) but Swoosie Kurtz & Ed Begley Jr. as "hip" parents and Martin Short as a fey drama teacher were hysterical.

B+

Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

Woman loves guy…man loves guy…guy flits from one to the other at his convenience. Good acting -- it effectively conveys the silent despair of lovers always in fear of not being enough for their beloved. I don't like that feeling.

C+

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

Was Barris truly an assassin for the CIA? I don't know or care. What I do know about Barris is that he needs about 20 times the attention most humans require.

The film's a misfire -- it's impossible to empathize with such a convoluted personality as Barris, and he's seriously unlikable too. We're told that a major turning point in his life was when he tricked one of his sister's young friends into licking his "strawberry-flavored" penis. We're never shown how or why this is true -- I suspect it was just too pervy a passage from the book to leave out of the movie. As depicted here, Barris is a depressed egotist asshole with a fertile mind, and that's not enough to make him worth watching.

D+

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Not as gut-bustingly funny as remembered, but still delivers a good stream of sight gags and ridiculous one-liners.

B+

Matchstick Men (2003)

The trailer characterizes this as wacky, focusing on Cage's various tics -- but the trailer sells the film far short. This is actually a wonderful character study of a man who hates his life but is handed a reason to embrace it once again. There's a couple of stories going on (the mechanics of a grift is one...a father & daughter connecting is the second) and that's more than double what most films supply.

A-

Juarez (1939)

I'm not a fan of war films, but this one is an exception. The intrigue was easy to follow and the human element, on both sides of the issue, was portrayed sympathetically. It is purported to be historically accurate, and the history is fascinating. I love honorable characters and to have two noble leaders forced to face off would have been compelling as fiction...because this is history, it's even stronger.

B

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

So completely silly, it's impossible not to giggle through most of it. Some bits don't work at all, but they are few and easily forgiven in the light of all the bits that are excellent.

B+

The Good Thief (2003)

Chooses to focus on style rather than substance, but unfortunately the style is "Ocean's 11 with characters both less suave and believable" (including identical twins AND a transsexual bodybuilder frightened of spiders). I've never been able to locate Nolte's charm...and had the same problem with his jailbait tagalong. Everything she said came out in the same bored monotone. A disappointment.

C

A Mighty Wind (2003)

Folk music gets "Spinal Tapped," but the result is just a look at what seems to be very real folk acts. What's funny about sounding/looking/seeming like real folk singers? Answer: nothing much.

The one bright spot is Fred Ward bringing his usual, clueless brand of humor to the proceedings.

C+

Running on Empty (1988)

Hasn't failed to make me cry yet. The elder son in a family on the lam lets his roots get a little too deep and discovers he's not interested in running anymore. A heartbreaking film that shows its age just a bit, but is still very effective. Martha Plimpton, as the son's object of affection, may be a little out of her depth. That's about the only criticism I can come up with.

A+

Their Own Desire (1930)

I've seen better acting in an elementary school play. Characters stall while searching for lines, laugh a little too late, and fail to lip-synch convincingly to an impromptu barbershop song -- just a clumsy mess.

D+

All the Real Girls (2003)

What a letdown. I looked forward to renting this for months -- after seeing it reviewed on E & R I was sure this would be my kind of film. It's always so awful to be unimpressed by something so anticipated. The story (what there is of it) is ridiculously unbelievable -- town lothario falls for his best friend's little sister for reasons unapparent. We're supposed to believe that they have some deep connection...built only on empty-bowling-alley hug sessions and the freedom to say "Did you just fart," as far as I can tell.

The biggest flaw was in the casting of the leading man. This guy's back story is that of a swaggering asshole heartbreaker -- screw 'em and then insult them as they pull up their panties. Please. He's neither good looking enough nor does he exude the confidence necessary for this type of guy. He played the part as though he were a mentally challenged prude. I mean, I know that love can change you and all, but does it also result in motor damage and speech impediments? Nearly put me to sleep.

D

Raising Victor Vargas (2003)

Roger Ebert said something about this movie being a refreshing look at youth in the inner city…no drugs or gangs. Well, there's a reason so few normal-life movies get made: everyone already has a normal life. You sure as hell don't need to shell out cash to watch someone else's.

When I wasn't bored, I was irritated at that grandmother who refused to lavish love on her grandson. What a bummer.

D+

Levity (2003)

The parole board says that Billy Bob has paid his debt to society. Billy Bob disagrees. So, even though they let him out of prison, he does his best to create one of his own. It's all very symbolic, reflective, and coincidental. No one's having a good time here -- but at least Morgan Freeman's trying, and he livens things up a bit when he's around.

C